Syrian rebels praise US steps to arm opposition
Syrian National Coalition calls Washington’s decision to give vetted groups weapons a ‘move forward’
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BEIRUT (AP) — The main Western-backed Syrian opposition group has welcomed the decision by the Obama administration to send arms to rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad’s regime.
The Syrian National Coalition says it’s a “move forward.”
President Barack Obama opposed providing any lethal assistance to Syria’s rebels until last month. The US administration is now moving ahead with sending weapons to vetted rebels after securing the approval of the House and Senate Intelligence committees.
There has been concern in the West that US weapons could end up in the hands of al-Qaeda-linked groups.
SNC’s statement on Thursday’s said it’s committed to ensuring weapons reach only those loyal to the Coalition and its affiliated military councils — indicating the SNC will try to prevent US weapons from reaching al-Qaeda fighters in Syria.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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